“Ba’an.”

Ba’an wrinkled her nose and swatted. She was sleeping. A warm hand caught hers, holding it lightly.

“Ba’an. We have to get going now.” Abruptly, she sat up.

Oh no. The sun was much lower in the sky than it should have been.

Lukios had woken before her. He was looking at her now, crouched with his weight on the balls of his feet, the elbow of his free hand on his knee. His other hand was holding hers.

His hand was very warm, his heat seeping into hers where they touched. His fingers, relaxed as they were, felt strong, and she could feel the calluses at the joints of his fingers. He had a swordsman’s hand.

Hastily, she snatched her hand back.

She scowled at him, and he raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“It can’t be helped. We slept too long; it’ll be dark soon.”

He was right. Ba’an knew with a glance that the moon would have passed its zenith by the time they arrived.

She grabbed his waterskin and sprang to her feet.

This was embarrassing. She, who had slept the entire night, had also overslept.

She pressed a hand against her forehead. Was she feverish? Or had she simply gone insane?

“Ba’an? You alright?” Lukios was walking beside her, much closer than he should have been. Ba’an sidled away until she couldn’t feel his heat against her side.

His frown deepened.

“Walk faster,” she suggested, and set a brisk pace. Lukios, he-of-the-long-legs, kept up with no trouble at all; if anything, he was slowing down for her. After all, Ba’an only came up to his chest. He could use her head as a chinrest if he stooped a bit.

More than a bit.

She was hungry. Ba’an opened her belt pouch and brought out a handful of nuts. Thankfully, she was now a master at chewing and walking at the same time. It would have been inconvenient if she tripped and broke her neck.

“Ba’an,” he said, but she ignored him. “We can slow down. If it’s too dark to take the cliff trail, we can camp under it.”

That was true. But Ba’an wasn’t walking fast because she was worried about the cliff trail. She was walking fast because she felt like an idiot.

“I know.”

“Well, okay. What’s wrong then?”

Well…nothing. Nothing had happened, except that she had slept so deeply that she had needed to be roused. What was wrong with her?

Ba’an stopped walking abruptly. She stuck another handful of nuts into her mouth and chewed.

“Ba’an?”

“Nothing is wrong,” she said, finally.

“That’s obviously not true.”

She scowled at him. “Do not worry. We can walk slower.”

“Ba’an.” The sun was still up, though it was low in the sky, so they both had their hoods up. “I…you know you can talk to me, right? Just tell me if I’ve upset you.”

She shook her head. “I am not upset.”

“That is also obviously not true.”

“I am not upset,” she insisted. “I am…”

“You are…?”

“I…overslept.”

“Well, you were obviously tired. You don’t have to be embarrassed over something like that, Ba’an.” This was true, but she still felt uneasy and disturbed.

She had become accustomed to him. And he…had easily understood she had felt embarrassed and disturbed, though she had not said the latter out loud. These were not welcome developments.

Ba’an rubbed her hand against her cloak. Her hand still felt warm where he had touched her.

They walked on in silence. Eventually, the sky went red, then violet, then black. Lukios broke the quiet first, pointing to a set of stars twinkling almost directly above them. “That one’s called ‘The Hunter’. What do your people call it?”

“It is not one for K’Avaari. It is two.” She raised her hand and traced the two half circles, always leaning but never touching. “First is ‘La’vin. Second is ‘Saa’va’. They are lovers.”

“Is there a story?”

“There is always a story.”

“…Is it a sad story?”

“Yes.”

He sighed. “Of course it is. Aren’t they always?” He continued walking with his eyes on the stars. “Still, I’d like to hear it.”

Ba’an’s hand went to her throat, before she remembered that she had left Thu’rin’s necklace in her not-vuti. She could not change anything that was not a living body or the coat when she shifted, so it was safer at home.

She would not risk losing it somewhere in the wilds.

She realized abruptly that Lukios had stopped looking at the sky to look at her. She caught his eyes flick to her throat before settling on her face. He raised an eyebrow.

“Should I tell you about the hunter first?”

“Yes. Mine is not a very good story.”

“Okay.” Lukios cleared his throat and took a sip from his waterskin before starting. When he spoke his voice was calm and mellow, like honey pouring from a jar.

“A long, long time ago, during the Age of Gods, was a young man named Actaeon. He was of a godly heritage and had fine looks and much wealth and had grown into manhood wanting for nothing. Men and women desired him the way bees did flowering trees, and he spent his leisure with them as he wished, refusing few but settling with none.

"Now, Actaeon was a talented hunter, young and brash with a nose for trouble, and he often hunted alone with only his hounds for company…”

It was a typical Dolkoi’ri story. The young hunter came upon a bathing maiden, but she was in fact a goddess. Enraptured by her beauty, he had been helplessly ensnared; even knowing she was no mortal woman, he had stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by the sight of her in the moonlight.

Enraged, she turned him into a stag and set his own hounds on him; they ripped him to pieces. A passing god, feeling pity, set his soul up into the sky as stars, and now he pointed the way away from the wrath of mercurial goddesses.

It wasn’t a very good story, but she liked the way Lukios told it; his voice was naturally low and husky, with a pleasant timbre. He also knew when to pause, when to speak, and how the words should fit to be pleasing to the ears—none of which were skills soldiers were ever taught, never mind used.

Well, she had her secrets too.

“He should not have looked. It was very rude.”

Lukios laughed. “Well, I’ve been told some things are worth dying for. Who knows? Maybe she really was worth it.”

Ba’an made a face. “Men.”

“Yup.” Lukios sounded insufferably cheerful. “We’re idiots, the lot of us. And it’s your turn now, by the way.”

Ba’an walked in silence for a moment or two, trying to think of how she ought to start the story.

“This is an old tale. It is after the time of Sa’nuvan, but before the end of what your people call the Age of Magic.

"Once there was a tribe that carved their vuti in the deep desert. Their witch was named Saa’va, and she was a woman of great beauty and temper. Men desired her even as they feared her, and she used this well. One day, her tribe came into a dispute with another. The chief of that tribe was called La’vin, and he was a great warrior.”

“Oh, I think I can see where this is going.”

“I am telling a story, Lukios.”

“Sorry, sorry. Keep going.”

“Saa’va’s tribe was small, and they had difficulty with water. The lake within their bir-vuti had dried up, and they were now searching for another spring. They found one, but it was within the territory of the other tribe.

"Saa’va and her chief went to bargain with La’vin and their witch. When La’vin set his eyes on her, he desired her greatly. He demanded her in exchange for the water, which was…such a thing is an insult. It is a forbidden thing to demand a witch from another tribe, especially as a woman.

"But their tribe needed the water badly. Saa’va and the chief could see there were only two options. They could begin a war, one they were likely to lose, or they could give in. Saa’va was a proud woman, and it angered her greatly to be bartered away. But she could not allow the tribe to wither and die of thirst, either.

"Though her temper was fierce, Saa’va was a good witch. She did her duties well. In the end, one of the witches of La’vin’s tribe came to sit in Saa’va’s place, and Saa’va left her tribe to enter La’vin’s as his woman.

"He treated her well, showering her with gifts and favours. Saa’va, however, never forgot she was a witch, though she no longer sat in a shi-vuti—”

“Oh, what an idiot. That is not how you get a lady to like you. At all. Stupid all around.”

“Lukios.”

“What? It’s true. You have to agree this La’vin guy’s an idiot. Kind of an asshole, too.”

Ba’an clicked her tongue at him. “What would you have done in his place, Lukios?”

“Obvious, isn’t it?”

“No. It is not. I would not have asked if it was.”

“Well, first of all, give them the damn water. It’s just pathetic, pathetic, to tell an entire tribe to go die because a pretty girl won’t fuck you. That’s just—it’s total horse shit. You’re no better than an animal, at that point. You have no business leading anyone if you can’t control your dick.”

“Lukios!”

“What? Am I wrong? No? Didn’t think so. Second—well, you tell me, Ba’an. How much are you going to like a guy that tells you and your tribe to get cucked, compared to a guy who generously saves all your lives? You think maybe in that second scenario you might like him more?”

“I would be better disposed toward him, yes.”

“See? And I bet you he could have just charmed her into coming to him, if he hadn’t been such a gods-damned prick. What he should have done was make a deal: Help from Saa’va on tribal matters in exchange for the water. This way, everyone goes home happy, see? And La’vin could have just seduced her while she was there doing whatever it was he’d asked her to do. You don’t go around terrorizing the girl you like. That never works out. Was he just really ugly or something?”

“I do not know, Lukios. This is an old story. It is said that he was very handsome, however.”

“Uh huh. Not buying it. Sounds like an ugly ghastròdes to me.”

“Ghastròdes?”

“A fat-ass. Probably couldn’t charm a horny goat into his bed, never mind a woman.”

“…Lukios. That is disgusting.”

“It’s just an expression, Ba’an. Though—come to think of it, I did hear that it’s a common pastime in places like Birduta to—”

“I do not wish to know. Stop talking.”

“Oh, right. Story time.”

“Yes, Lukios. Story time. As I was saying—Saa’va was not the type of woman to forget an insult, and her tribe did not, either. Her tribe was not in a position to overtake La’vin’s, however, because his people were wealthy and strong. They had many hunters in their ranks, and far too many witches.

"Saa’va, however, was patient. She allowed La’vin to court her, and eventually lay with him, making him believe his love was returned. He fathered three children on her—”

“Oh, what. I thought K’Avaari witches were a bit more…stabby than that?”

“…’Stabby’? Lukios, what strange tales have your people been telling?”

“Uh…they’re not really tales. Witches are pretty spooky. Bad tempers too.” He looked at her pointedly and snickered.

“I am not a witch,” she snapped, hackles instantly rising. It was twice now that he had implied or stated that she was a witch. This was dangerous. Very, very dangerous. And she wasn’t lying—this was true. The word “witch” was one of rank. It did not mean a K’Avaari woman with magic. This was a fundamental misunderstanding many Dolkoi’ri appeared to have, and normally, Ba’an did not care, but Lukios—

It would be dangerous to allow the misunderstanding to continue.

“A witch is one who is honoured inside a shi-vuti, Lukios. I sit alone in a cave.”

He gave a low whistle. “Now you’re calling it a cave? I thought it was a nur-vuti?”

“Are you doing this on purpose?” He was. She was certain he was riling her because he was bored.

He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, okay. You’re not a witch, though you are awfully witchy. It’s cute.”

“I—what?” Insane. He was insane.

“Oh, there we go. There’s the nose wrinkle.” He was grinning again.

“You are ridiculous, and if you continue interrupting me, I will not tell you the rest of the story.”

“My lips are sealed. Sealed!”

Ba’an made a pointed noise of exasperation before continuing. “As I was saying, La’vin took her to wife and fathered three children on her. She was praised by his people for her beauty and wisdom and feared for her temper. La’vin’s favor never wavered, and he gave her many gifts—precious jewels, furs, the best of everything—but most of all, he gave her tender words—”

Lukios snorted. Ba’an glared and he gave her an innocent look, gesturing to his closed mouth.

“—and nightly, his passion—”

Lukios looked deeply unimpressed. He mouthed something in Dolkoi’ri, though Ba’an did not recognize the word.

“—and the storyteller became very annoyed and pushed her unruly listener off the cliff path. The end.”

“What? Aw, Ba’an! But I didn’t say anything!”

She gave a delicate sniff of disdain and turned her head away, walking ahead of him at a faster clip. He kept up with her easily, which annoyed her.

“Aw, come on, Ba’an. I’ll look really impressed from now on, I promise. Really, really. I will. I won’t roll my eyes and think La’vin’s an idiotic asshole at all.”

Ba’an secretly agreed with this assessment. The tale of Saa’va and La’vin was an old one, and Ba’an knew such a thing would never happen now. The other witches of the A’tat would raise their voices in fury, for one transgression could lead to another, and another, like water dripping into a crack in the stone. The shi-vuti of his own tribe would have…dissuaded him. And if that had failed, he would have been replaced very promptly with his successor.

But this tale had taken place after the A’tat had shattered but before it had reformed; that was why they had needed the water so badly. Now the A’tat came together during times of hardship, for the People were one body, if not one mind.

“It is an old story, Lukios. Such a thing would not happen now. La’vin would be condemned by the A’tat.”

“Ha! I knew it. What an asshole.”

“Lukios, your people take bedslaves.”

“Yeah, I know. No one actually thinks being a bedslave is a good thing—no man—well, no honourable one—would stand to have his wife or daughters become a bedslave, not while he was breathing. And Ba’an, by the sound of things Saa’va wasn’t too happy with being traded off and bedded, either.” His voice went hard and Ba’an looked at him in surprise.

“…Are you certain you are Dolkoi’ri, Lukios?”

“What? I—well, last time I checked. I am a full citizen, Ba’an, though I guess I was born in Eir.” He gave her a knowing look. “Hermes’ balls, you really do think we’re all slaving rapist lunatics, don’t you?”

“I have seen the brothels in Kyros, Lukios.”

He winced. “…Right. I guess I can’t really argue with you there. But it’s—well, look. It’s true we filthy outlanders do all sorts of despicable things to everyone, but that doesn’t mean we all do them or that we all agree those things should be legal. It’s just—the empire’s huge, Ba’an. We have a lot of different ideas floating around. I think you might be surprised.”

“Your people marry off your daughters for alliances as well, do you not?”

“Yeah.”

“So why is La’vin an ‘idiotic asshole’ if he is only doing the same thing most men would do, K’Avaari or Dolkoi’ri?” Losing one’s good sense and judgement over a beautiful woman appeared to be a universal male behaviour. Ba’an did not think Dolkoi’ri men were any different.

“Well, it’s the way he’s going about it, isn’t it? It’s—look. Marrying for alliances is a whole different thing. Everyone cheats on everyone else in those, so they all look the other way, because the alliance is the point. If you want a woman to love you, well—that’s a different game entirely.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. You have to—you can’t just buy her and expect her to be happy about it, pretty presents or no. It’s common sense! This La’vin guy isn’t doing the alliance thing right, but he’s not doing the love thing right, either. He’s just a…a…fuck-up.”

Lukios’ expression could only be described as ‘contemptuous.’ Hm.

“Very well, Lukios. Tell me.” Ba’an was certain Lukios was not a proper Dolkoi’ri man. Ba’an knew the Dolkoi’ri traded women like they did horses, and their men had more than one woman. The rich ones kept them in their homes, and the poor ones went to brothels—and there were many brothels. In Kyros, there was a brothel at the corner of every street. There were even brothels around temples and markets, though they were not marked as such.

“The courting is supposed to come first, and the purchasing never. I mean—if you have to buy yourself a wife, I’m not sure I’d get along with you, is all I’m saying. That’s a real special sort of man, right there. Don’t tell me you’d fall in love with a man who bought you, Ba’an, if he tossed some pretty trinkets your way?”

“I would not.” Ba’an was certain she would have simply killed La’vin the first night she had gone to his tribe and been done with the entire mess. She did not doubt his own shi-vuti would have helped her and sent her home with a blessing.

“See? Turns out, K’Avaari women and outlander women aren’t so different after all.”

She looked at him curiously. “You sound very sure of yourself, Lukios. But you are a man.”

“Yeah? So? It’s common sense, Ba’an. I can’t say I’ve ever met a woman who was thrilled by the prospect of being sold. Usually it’s the opposite.”

“…You have known women who were sold?”

“Well, yeah. Lots of slaves are Illosian, Ba’an. The poor folk, usually. They get into debt and things, and selling themselves is the only way out, sometimes. But with the women it’s usually—well, the husband sells her, or her father does. None of them like it. Not a single one.”

“The husband sells his wife? Or his daughter? That is—Lukios, that is madness.” She frowned. “You said no honourable man would sell his wife or daughter.”

“Right, no honourable man. There’s plenty of dishonourable bottom-suckers, around, though. You can find one under every rock. It is what it is. My point is, no one likes being sold and bought.” He shook his head. “Damn, let me guess the ending. Saa’va kills La’vin, but she regrets it because she fell in love with him in the years together, so she kills herself.”

“…Yes. Their tribes come into conflict with each other and she…poisons him. Then she drinks it herself.”

“Called it.” He made a face. “You sure this really happened?”

“I do not know. It is a very old story, Lukios. It is part of the—there is a collection of old poems that are sung as a part of our histories. This is part of the collection.”

“Okay. So how’d they end up as stars?”

“It is the natural course of things. The stars are the souls of the dead, watching over us in the night as they await their turn on the Wheel. And Saa’va was a witch, Lukios. A powerful one. She does not wish to return to the Wheel without reconciling with La’vin, but he—he is untouchable. He appears first with the moon and disappears first with the sun. Saa’va appears behind him, chasing him.”

“The Wheel?”

“Yes. It is—Hm. It is not a place, it is only…well, all things end, but all things return. You may die, Lukios, but your soul will return as someone or something else.”

“Huh.” Lukios looked thoughtful, then said, “The most confusing part of all this is the part where she actually falls in love with him. How could that even happen? The guy was a total bastard.”

She sighed. “The tale is told to children to teach them lessons, Lukios. It does not need to make sense. The point is that La’vin was a man who shirked his duty for passion but Saa’va did not. That is why the A’tat is the way it is now, you see? Nothing good comes from es’tati and doing one’s duty is the only clear path forward, no matter the cost.”

It was true. A witch’s life was not her own, and La’vin should have known it. It had only been the foolish dream of a besotted man.

“Es’tati? Say what?”

“A forbidden thing. No, when you do a forbidden thing. A forbidden thing is es’tat. If Saa’va had been like La’vin, her own tribe would have come to ruin. Instead she opened the gates and they took what La’vin had hoarded and distributed it. They remade the A’tat. That is the lesson.”

“That’s the most K’Avaari thing I’ve heard all night.”

“The night has only started, Lukios.”

“Yup. And I bet you’re going to say even more K’Avaari things before it ends.”

Well, there was nothing she could say to that so she only rolled her eyes and continued walking. Lukios broke first.

“What about you? Would you have loved a man like that?”

“No. I would have killed La’vin the first night I arrived.”

Lukios burst out laughing. “That’s what I thought. You don’t take any guff at all, do you?”

“I do not know what ‘guff’ is, but I dislike arrogant men and their nonsense.” She gave Lukios a pointed look. “Most especially their nonsense.”

“Good thing I’m modest and completely devoid of any nonsense.” He gave her a winsome grin that showed off his dimples. It was very charming, and Ba’an felt instantly annoyed by how her stomach seemed to flutter. Ridiculous. This was ridiculous. She was ridiculous.

“Yes, you are very modest and full of good sense. You are so modest that you never brag and you are so full of good sense that you never annoy me. I could not possibly be thinking of pushing you off the cliff path.”

“Great! I’m glad you agree!” He sidled close to her without warning and she stumbled. He reached out and steadied her without missing a beat. This annoyed her even more, because she was now flustered. How could she be flustered by this madman? It was ludicrous.

He dipped his head so that he could whisper into her ear, though they were still walking through the desert. There was no one around to hear them, so why whisper?

“Know what else I am?” His voice was low, his breath warm as it ruffled the hair against her temples. Ba’an suppressed a shiver, putting her hand over his mouth and shoving him away. It was like shoving at a rock wall, but he made a dramatic noise and pinwheeled away as though she really had managed to throw him. Ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

“An utter madman?”

He began to laugh—again. “Oh what? How am I the crazy one? You’re the one who wanted to poke a nest full of horned desert wasps! How are you even defining ‘mad’ here? Is this another one of your special Ba’an definitions?”

What?

“I do not have special definitions for words, Lukios. It is because you do not know the proper meanings.”

His amused laugh became a full-out guffaw. “I don’t know the—the—hahaha--!” He was laughing so hard that he doubled over with the force of it.

Ba’an rolled her eyes and walked briskly forward. There was no speaking sense into him when he was like this, and his laughter would soon drive her mad.

“Aw, Ba’an, don’t be mad! I’m just—I’m just teasing you. You’re just too cute when you get all tied up in knots.”

She ignored him. Unfortunately, Lukios had a very long stride and he had no trouble catching up or keeping pace. “It’s all a part of your charm, Ba’an. Really. I’m not making fun of you—okay, maybe a little, but it’s friendly. I swear.”

She gave him a very unimpressed look, visible even in the dim light of the moon. “You are ridiculous. I do not know why you find everything so funny.” Only fools and madmen laughed at everything.

He grinned. “Well, the world is a crazy place, Ba’an. You’ve got to learn how to laugh at it or you really will go barking mad. You know?”

“No. I do not know.”

He shook his head. “I guess that’s a good thing? Ha.” He smiled at her again, and this time it was not his charming grin. It was his sweet smile, the one that had no pretense or artifice in it. Ba’an looked away, suddenly aware of her own heartbeat.

He looked so boyishly innocent when he smiled that way. It was very—

No. He was leaving soon and they would both forget each other shortly.

“Hey.” His voice had gone very serious and sober.

Ba’an glanced at him, mildly surprised by the sudden change in his mood. His eyes were on her and for a moment his gaze was so intense that her breath caught in her throat.

“What’s wrong? Really. You’ve been a bit—you’ve been a bit out of sorts for a while now, Ba’an.”

“I am not ‘out of sorts’, Lukios.”

“Uh huh. Sell that to someone who’s buying. Really. Did I upset you somehow? Or…?”

She shook her head. “You have upset me no more than usual, Lukios.”

“’No more than usual’? Oh, come on. I don’t upset you at all.”

Ba’an sniffed haughtily and looked away.

“Nuh-uh. I do not. I know I do not. Oh, come on, Ba’an.” He reached out had caught her hand in his, tugging her closer.

“Lukios.”

“Ba’aaaaan.”

“You see? This is very childish.”

“But you might fall in the dark. I’m being considerate.”

Ba’an deepened her voice, snippily imitating him. “’Sell that to someone who is buying.’”

“Oh, your tongue is so sharp.” He was grinning again. “I love it.”

He loved it. Strange. Such a strange choice of words, again. It made something in her chest tighten. Lukios tangled his fingers with hers and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. The sensation was more pleasant than it should have been.

She shook his hand off. She could feel his eyes on her face as he spoke, though she did not turn to look at him.

“Ba’an?”

“Enough, Lukios. We must rest, and then I will take you to Kyros.” And that would be that.

They were nearing the akaikai grove. In the dark the trees were only black shadows reaching their spindly fingers toward the moon.

Lukios continued talking as though she had not ended the conversation. “Right, about that. I’ve been meaning to say, Ba’an, why don’t you--"

Suddenly, one of the shadows shifted. Lukios moved before she did. He thrust her behind him and drew his sword, so quick that she didn’t even see it.

The shape moved forward and coalesced into a familiar form and face. There was no mistaking the curved nose, the high cheekbones under bright eyes glittering with pride, full of self-sure confidence.

“…Vaa’ti?”